EMTs mistakenly rescue lifeless doll from hot car

EMTs smashed a car window to save a baby doll trapped in a hot car. (CBS New York)

This summer the news has been filled with an alarming number of stories about children being trapped in hot cars. Many of these situations have horrific endings. Here’s a story that ends well.

The police department in Hoboken, N.J., received several calls yesterday afternoon about a lifeless-looking baby locked in a hot car parked on a roadside. EMTs rushed to the scene, immediately smashed the window and pulled a “baby” from a car safety seat. The crew was shocked and relieved when they realized the child wasn’t real.

The baby doll belonged to the granddaughter of Luz Kitty Mieles. The 2-year-old left the life-like looking doll in the car.

Mieles was at work during the incident and when she returned to her car she was surprised.“I said, ‘Oh no, my car!’” Mieles told CBS News New York. “When I got there, everything was broken.”

The Police department was apologetic and promised to pay for the damage.

The EMTs told CBS that their coworkers were giving them flak but the Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps supported the team’s decision.

“I’d rather err on the side of caution,” Thomas Molta, president of the ambulance service, told CBS. “You can replace a window. You can’t replace a life.”

As for Mieles, she told the news station that she will make sure the doll doesn’t get left in the car again.